I will be speaking about split receipts at the National Charity Law Symposium on May 10, 2007, in Toronto. I hope to see some of you there.
Redeemer Foundation overturned
Yesterday, the Federal Court of Appeal released its decision in M.N.R. v. Redeemer Foundation, 2006 FCA 325, which overturns the decision of the Federal Court in Redeemer Foundation v. M.N.R., 2005 FC 1361 (see my article on the latter case).
Donations in the criminal law context
Jeff Manishen, a Hamilton lawyer who specializes in criminal law, wrote to me recently to ask some interesting questions about donations. Jeff sometimes negotiates arrangements under which clients can avoid prosecution by making a donation to a charity. Some charities, however, refuse to issue receipts for such donations. Is that right? My responses follow.
CRA Charities Newsletter No. 26
The CRA recently released Registered Charities Newsletter No. 26. The newsletter contains an interesting discussion of the legal meaning of words like “may”, “shall” and “deemed”. It also has a useful table setting out the period of time for which…
Relief for Charities?
Some time ago, I wrote about proposed subsection 248(40), which would have required charities to make inquiries about the circumstances surrounding a gift where the eligible amount of the gift exceeded $5,000. It appears that Finance might withdraw the proposed subsection.
OBA Presentation on Charities
I will present at a seminar hosted by the Charity and Not-for-Profit section of the Ontario Bar Association in Toronto on Wednesday, October 26. I will cover topics addressed in my article on the new split-receipt rules ((2004) 18(4) The…
A Nasty Surprise for Charities
On July 18, 2005, the Department of Finance released over 300 pages of draft legislation amending the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the “Act”). For the most part, the legislation merely reintroduces previously-announced proposals, but Finance slipped in a new measure that imposes new burdens on charities. If the proposal is enacted, a charity that issues a receipt with an eligible amount in excess of $5,000 will be required first to make “reasonable inquiry” about whether the amount should be reduced under any one of a number of complex provisions of the Act relating to gifts.